Bluelight and Sleep Quality

                                                                                                                                    Image from BigStock.

It has been said several times in various ways, “Digital screen time before bed can affect your sleep quality”. Some even go so far to even say it can cause a condition called macular degeneration. That’s just a stretch until it can be really proven. However, blue light does have an affect on our bodies.

Blue light coming off the digital devices can disrupt your sleep. This blue light is similar to the UV light coming from the sun, which keeps us awake. So, when we are on our phones in bed, our bodies think it is still day time and disrupts our sleep cycle. 

I don’t believe the blue light from our digital devices is the sole reason why our sleep is affected. It is a combination of things and blue light is just one of them.

• Content: We are looking at social media, news, stories, blogs, videos etc. These evoke some kind of emotion and thought processes where you are not sleeping at a “relaxed state”

• State of Mind: You are not mentally ready for sleep. Your bedroom should be a place of rest. So when you lay down in bed, your body and mind knows that it is ready to sleep. This is referred to as “sleep hygiene”.

At this age, it is very difficult to reduce digital screen time. It is all around us.  But it doesn’t mean we can’t be proactive about it.

I have a pair of night time glasses (I call it “pajama glasses”) that I put on before bed.  It has a mild prescription that allows me to see comfortable upclose on my digital device and the tv. It also has blue blocking coating to reduce the amount of blue light.  I put these “pajama glasses” on generally 3-4 hours before bed time. So I am wearing it while I am in the living room and in bed. 

I review all the social media, news, stories, and other online materials (some educational and some mind-wasting) in the living room. So by the time I head upstairs to the bedroom, my mind and body has already processed all the materials and I am in a relaxed state of mind.

In conclusion, be proactive about your nightly routine to ensure you get a good quality sleep. So when you wake up, you are refreshed and ready to tackle the world!

If you have any questions or interested in how we can improve your visual comfort throughout the day, please contact us!

Dr. AuYeung